Your guide to Perfect Plants

Look at a Japanese 'Zen' garden and you feel a comforting wave of calm wash over your soul. Why? It's all about a spiritual sense of place that is historically linked to the Japanese culture. Garden design in Japan is connected to the philosophy and religion of the country. Buddhism,...

Six reasons to shower praise on shrubs Why should we be shouting out for shrubs? Let's look to nature to teach us. If you absorb the sights of the countryside you will see that it's the season for shrubs and trees. Impressive; stately; astonishing; colourful; architectural. They've got it all,...

10 steps to install a GREEN ROOF on your shed, or even your home A green roof...why would you install such a thing? Your shed looks perfectly 'shed-like' with its roofing felt. In fact it's just a shed and you barely give it a second glance. ‍ A garden shed....

Train a tree for free: How to make a cordon; espalier; fan; stepover and more! This is plant-a-tree season. There's no better time to get those roots down into the soil so they can establish while there's still some warmth in the ground. You can buy mature trees if you...

Summer holidays!  How to have fun with the children... The children are enjoying some 'down-time', the sun is shining, the garden is blooming and all is well in your world. Or is it? Are the kids squabbling? Are they bored? Scratchy (the children, not the dog)? It's raining. The flowers...

Tra-la-lah, it's August! You might be spending time this month away on a holiday beach. But if you are a garden-lover, the chances are that you will want to enjoy relaxing in your own special outdoor space. After all, this is the month in which you have the best opportunity...

A trio to tackle in the garden: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  What's good in the garden right now? The answer is LOTS. Gardens are alive with bloom; foliage; colour and that most important topic of all: insects. Without them our flowers and fruit will not be pollinated;...

Do you need direction? Some simple tips for your garden If there's one thing we all need, it's DIRECTION. Just imagine what chaos it would be on the road without it. People like to know where they are going - whether it's on a motorway; in life; in a job;...

What's Hot in your Garden this Week? 10 Summer Suggestions... It's all about water, what with the hot weather and all that. We are SO lucky here in the UK to have all types of weather. And just for the moment it's gloriously HOT! Do you need to water your garden?...

Do you have five 'Gardening Friends'?  Tell us who they are... Everybody needs friends and most gardeners feel they have many. There's all those lovely plants of course; the creatures in the pond; the birds that visit the table and of course the people that gardeners meet during any sort...

Grow your own herbs for a divine culinary feast  It's barbecue season! Grow herbs to add zing to your outdoor dining experience  its easy! Just pop some edible plants in pots or in the ground now and you will have herbs lasting all summer-long.  Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver offers a great chicken...

What's the worst thing in the garden? Would you immediately think 'poison'? Many garden-lovers would say prickles and thorns (think Berberis) because gardening amongst these things can be a pain literally. But of course these thorny beasts are brilliant for keeping animals (and burglars) away from certain areas. Use Berberis...